General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyễn Phú Trọng received the chairman of A Just Russia (SR) party Sergey Mironov in Moscow yesterday as part of his official visit to Russia. —  VNA/VNS Photo Trí Dũng

MOSCOW — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyễn Phú Trọng received the chairman of A Just Russia (SR) party Sergey Mironov in Moscow yesterday as part of his official visit to Russia. 

The SR leader welcomed Trọng’s official visit to Russia and recalled the deep impressions Việt Nam left on him during a trip last April, including the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on co-operation between the CPV and the SR, which called for bilateral exchange and mutual consultation and support.

Mironov suggested that legal consultative and assistance offices in Russia could provide free legal assistance for Vietnamese nationals living and working in Russia if requested. 

He voiced his hope that the ties between the SR and the CPV would be further cemented in the interests of both nations.

General Secretary Trọng noted that Việt Nam and Russia had established a comprehensive strategic partnership and would mark the 25th year since they signed the treaty on the basic principles of their friendship ties and the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2019 and 2020.

He made clear that his visit aimed to affirm the resolve to further deepen the close relationship between the peoples of the two countries.

The Vietnamese party leader spoke highly of the principles and goals of the SR, striving for a fair, free and equal society, and happiness for the people.

He welcomed the SR leader’s proposal regarding legal assistance for Vietnamese nationals in Russia, and stressed that he would support whatever benefited the parties and peoples of the two countries.

Kaluga Oblast tour

On the same day, Trọng conducted a tour of Kaluga Oblast, one of the most economically developed localities in the country.

At a working session with the Vietnamese leader, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Gordeyev said that Việt Nam was a friend and long-term partner of Kaluga. The two sides had enjoyed win-win co-operation in economy, trade, investment, social sciences and humanities.

He noted that the most positive improvement of the two countries’ relations was seen in economy and trade, with the trend continuing this year and proving that the establishment of a free trade area between the Eurasian Economic Union, of which Russia is a member, and Việt Nam was a good step forward. He described the Việt Nam-based TH Group’s construction of animal farms in Kaluga and other localities in Russia as a bright example of the bilateral partnership.

Trọng’s trip to Kaluga demonstrated that locality-to-locality cooperation was an important field in the countries’ connections, Gordeyev added.

Trọng said he was happy to visit Kaluga for the first time and witness the dynamic development of one of the fastest growing localities of Russia, taking the lead in investment attraction and advanced technology application. He expressed his delight at the enormous successes Kaluga had achieved and wished it even stronger development in the future.

TH Group was a private Vietnamese firm that had been investing big in Russia, he said, thanking the Russian Government and the administration of Kaluga and asking them to continue to create optimal conditions for Vietnamese investors, including TH Group, and thereby contributing to local socio-economic development and the increase of the two countries’ relations.

Introducing local strengths, Kaluga Governor Anatoly Artamonov said dairy farming was a top priority for local agriculture. In 2017, the locality produced more than 305,000 tonnes of milk and was the biggest milk producer in Russia.

TH Group’s investment in a dairy factory in the Kaluga Special Economic Zone held special significance in terms of promoting co-operation between Vietnamese and Russian localities, he said, promising that Kaluga would create the best possible conditions for the plant to operate while boosting collaboration with Việt Nam in other areas.

The Party chief attended a ceremony to start the construction of TH Group’s dairy factory in the region. The factory is expected to become one of the biggest and most modern of its kind in Russia. Invested with some US$150 million, it is set to cover 14ha and produce 1,500 tonnes of milk products per day once operational.

TH Group has invested $2.7 billion in dairy cow farm and high-tech milk processing complexes, along with some food-related projects, in Russia’s Moscow Oblast, Kaluga Oblast, Primorsky Kray and the Republic of Bashkortostan.

Trọng voiced his hope that more Vietnamese businesses would invest in Russia, including Kaluga, to produce high-quality products, create jobs for local people, and contribute to local development.

He will continue his European tour with a visit to Hungary from September 8-11. — VNS